"The Harder They Come" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jimmy Cliff | ||||
from the album The Harder They Come | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 1972 | |||
Genre | Reggae | |||
Length | 3:05 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Cliff | |||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Cliff | |||
Jimmy Cliff singles chronology | ||||
|
"The Harder They Come" is a reggae song by the Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff. It was first recorded for the soundtrack of the 1972 movie of the same name, in which it is supposed to have been written by the film's main character, Ivanhoe Martin.
"The Harder They Come" has been covered by many artists and was ranked number 350 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [1]
In 1969, singer Jimmy Cliff met film director Perry Henzell, who was intending to make a film about a musician who turned to crime. Cliff agreed to take the lead role, and the film was shot over the next two years. During filming, Cliff came up with the line "the harder they come". Henzell thought it would make a good title for the film, and asked Cliff to write and record a theme song for it. [2]
The actual recording of the track, at Dynamic Sounds, was filmed for inclusion in the movie. Cliff wrote the melody, and improvised the lyrics. The musicians were Gladstone Anderson (piano), Winston Wright (organ), Winston Grennan (drums), Linford "Hux" Brown (lead guitar), Ranford "Ranny Bop" Williams (rhythm guitar), and Clifton "Jackie" Jackson (bass). [2]
"The Harder They Come" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Joe Jackson Band | ||||
B-side | "Out of Style", "Tilt" | |||
Released | June 1980 | |||
Genre | Reggae, rock | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Cliff | |||
Producer(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
Joe Jackson Band singles chronology | ||||
|
Joe Jackson recorded "The Harder They Come" with his band and released it as a single in 1980. It did not chart in the UK.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Harder They Come" | Jimmy Cliff | 3:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
2. | "Out of Style" | Joe Jackson | 2:55 |
3. | "Tilt" | Jackson | 2:41 |
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch GfK chart [3] | 34 |
Dutch Top 40 [4] | 35 |
Swedish Singles Chart [5] | 18 |
UK Record Business The Singles Chart [6] | 67 |
"The Harder They Come" | |
---|---|
Single by Rockers Revenge featuring Donnie Calvin | |
Released | 1983 |
Genre | Electro |
Length | 3:37 |
Label | London |
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Cliff |
Producer(s) | Arthur Baker |
"The Harder They Come" was recorded by the group Rockers Revenge in 1983 after their successful cover version of the Eddy Grant song "Walking On Sunshine" the previous year. The single peaked at number 13 in the US Dance Chart and at number 30 in the UK and Irish Singles Chart.
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Club Play Singles | 13 |
Irish Singles Chart [7] | 30 |
UK Singles Chart [8] | 30 |
"The Harder They Come" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Madness | ||||
from the album Madstock! | ||||
Released | 16 November 1992 [9] | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | Go! Discs | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Cliff | |||
Producer(s) | Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley | |||
Madness singles chronology | ||||
|
"The Harder They Come" was released as a single by English ska band Madness in November 1992 after a successful reunion concert held at London's Finsbury Park. The single was recorded live at the event along with its B-sides. Although in 1992 Madness had success with reissues of "It Must Be Love" and "My Girl", their version of "The Harder They Come" failed to make the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 44. [10]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Harder They Come" | Jimmy Cliff | 3:27 |
2. | "Land of Hope and Glory" (live) | Chris Foreman, Lee Thompson | 3:33 |
3. | "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" (live) | Mike Barson, Carl Smyth | 3:23 |
4. | "Take It or Leave It" (live) | Barson, Thompson | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Harder They Come" | Cliff | 3:27 |
2. | "Embarrassment" (live) | Barson, Thompson | 3:12 |
3. | "Grey Day" (live) | Barson | 4:53 |
4. | "Baggy Trousers" (live) | Graham McPherson, Foreman | 2:42 |
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [10] | 44 |
"The Harder They Come" has also been covered by:
The Clash were an English rock band that formed in London in 1976 and were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they used elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly, and they contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed punk. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon.
Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town, north London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
James Chambers, OM, known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.
The Harder They Come is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name, released in 1972 in the United Kingdom as Island Records ILPS 9202. It was issued in February 1973 in North America as Mango Records SMAS-7400. It peaked at No. 140 on the Billboard 200. In 2021, the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
E-Rotic are a Eurodance duo act formed in 1994 by German record producer David Brandes. The act is best known in Europe for the hits "Max Don't Have Sex With Your Ex" and "Fred Come to Bed". E-Rotic originally consisted of German born singer Lyane Leigh and American rapper Richard Allen Smith. The act is known for its extensive use of sexual themes in their songs and music videos.
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and the same year was named one of the 500 "Songs that Shaped Rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album Abbey Road and was also released as a single coupled with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and Australia, but peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.
"White Riot" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, released as the band's first single in March 1977 and also included on their self-titled debut album.
The discography of the British punk rock band the Clash consists of six studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums and 31 singles.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! " is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded in August 1979 in order to help promote their North American and European tour of that year, and was released on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album as the brand new track.
Clash on Broadway is a box set compilation album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on Legacy Records in 1991. It comprises 64 tracks on three compact discs, spanning the time period from their 1977 debut single, "White Riot", through the Combat Rock album of 1982. It does not include material from the band's final sessions led by Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, resulting in the final album Cut the Crap (1985). It was initially released in longbox form.
"The Guns of Brixton" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash, originally released on their 1979 album London Calling. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, South London. The song has a strong reggae influence, reflecting the culture of the area and the reggae gangster film The Harder They Come.
"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, The Album (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Australia. In South Africa where it peaked at number 2 in August 1978 and became the eighteenth best-selling single of that year.
"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. It was the lead single from his twelfth album, I Can See Clearly Now (1972), and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box charts. It also reached number one in Canada and South Africa. The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including a hit version by Lee Towers that reached no. 19 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1982, and another recorded by Jimmy Cliff for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings that peaked at no. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.
The Cost of Living is an EP by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 11 May 1979 in a gatefold sleeve. The EP was produced by the band and Bill Price. It marked a transition in musical styles for the band, bridging the intensity of their earlier, punky albums with the broader, more American influenced rock and roll yet to come on London Calling, most evident on the folk rocking "Groovy Times" and "Gates of the West".
"Wooly Bully" is a song originally recorded by rock and roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1964. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's frontman, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as a single on the small Memphis-based XL label (#906) in 1964 and was picked up in 1965 by MGM. The song was recorded at Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis, the successor to Phillips' original Sun Studio. It proved to be the only recording made at the studio to achieve national success.
"Clash City Rockers" is a song by English rock band the Clash. It was first released in February 1978 as a single with the B-side "Jail Guitar Doors", the latter a re-worked version of a song from Joe Strummer's pub rock days. "Clash City Rockers" was the second of three non-album singles released between the group's eponymous first album in 1977 and their second album, Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978). It was later included as the opening track of the belated US version of the band's debut album.
"Bankrobber" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash. The song was not released on any of their studio albums, instead appearing on their compilation Black Market Clash. Upon its 1980 release as a single it peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 14 on both the Irish Singles Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart.
"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.
"You Can Get It If You Really Want" is a reggae song written and originally recorded by Jamaican singer songwriter Jimmy Cliff and released as a single in July 1970. Another version, recorded by Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker and released within a few weeks of Cliff's version, became a hit single in a number of markets, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.